PEACEFUL PARENTING
New Buddha Way has a home-grown project to bring the Dharma to children and to their parents, grandparents and others who care for them. Peaceful Parenting (PP) was launched on 29th October 2011.
MEETINGS: Fortnightly on a Saturday morning 10.30-12.30 hrs at The Quiet Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford. If you wish to attend or know more, contact us first at parents@newbuddhaway.org For the next meeting please keep an eye on our comprehensive timetable on this site.
PP is informed by the values of New Buddha Way and the Buddha Dharma generally: Peace and non-harm, selflessness, compassion and an awareness of the interdependence of all things. Raising children is always a challenge and a learning experience, and is particularly so in our society in the present time. Children – and their parents – are subject to the dominant self-centred and consumerist attitudes. ‘Religion’ is presented at school but not always in helpful ways. Children may ask their parents ‘philosophical’ questions which are hard to answer.
As well as learning to enjoy the joyful aspects of life there are important issues such as handling postnatal depression, death, grief, pain and ill-health. For some PP is about finding a space for themselves as parents in which they can cultivate peace and understanding in order to return to their children and partners refreshed and renewed. We encourage our children and grandchildren to follow the dharma in the hope that this will contribute to making our society (and the world) a more peaceful and compassionate place.
There may not always be clear-cut answers and PP is prepared to share experience, learn and grow. Childen learn from adults and other children. At the same time a child should always be regarded as a ‘little buddha’ from which we adults can learn.
Parents are busy people, but it is expected that participants in PP will have at least attended the NBW ‘Newcomers’ & Beginners’ Class’ Link and the weekly community meditation sessions in Guildford and/or Woking whenever they can.
Age groups
PP caters for all children. Those up to 7 or 8 have activities in a creche. Those above 8 sit in meditation with the adults, in an adjoining room.
Parents andchildren
PP caters both for parents (and those in parenting role) and for their children as a family unit. Parents, grandparents and mature people with children in their family will benefit both from meditation and from sharing experience of child-rearing. PP is developing a structure to serve this dual purpose.
Activities
Activities for the children could include Dharma-inspired story-telling, games, DVDs, making toys together, simple yoga, attention exercises, mutual respect exercises and the like.
A number of Buddha Dharma books for children are available and NBW will make a loan collection of these. Some materials may eventually be placed on the NBW website in a special PP area.
Advice could be taken from outside sources such as the Dharma primary school in Brighton.
Where & When
PP will meet once every two weeks on a Saturday morning from 10.30 hrs to 12.30 hrs at The Quiet Centre, University of Surrey (see directions below and map on the Guildford page).
Donations
There is no fee for attending PP sessions and meetings. The only expectation is that participants will have at least attended the ‘Newcomers’ & Beginners’ Class’ and it is hoped they will also attend at least some of the weekly community meditation sessions from time to time. PP will depend on donations to cover any costs incurred.
Personnel
There are no formal positions. Volunteer facilitators are Lynne, Catherine, Anne and Geoff. Lynne is the PP Coordinator.
Information
If you have any questions or suggestions, or would like an invitation to attend, please email parents@newbudhaway.org
DIRECTIONS TO QUIET CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY, GUILDFORD
Time: The Peaceful Parenting group meet fortnightly on a Saturday, 10.30-12.00 hrs. Please try to arrive by 10.15 am. It will take 15 mins to walk from your car to the meeting at The Quiet Centre.
Venue: The Quiet Centre, University of Surrey, Stag Hill, Guildford.
Parking: Drive up the Cathedral approach, over a hump, take first left in front of "Education" building into the car park. You are allowed to park there. (If challenged say you are there for a meeting of the "University Chaplaincy" led by "Prof Geoff Hunt".) Please do not park in the other Cathedral car parks.
Directions to Quiet Centre (QC): walk back out of the car park, turn left alongside cathedral buildings on your left, just past the Gift shop turn into a small alley between the buildings, down the steps for about 100 yards, under the Wates House bridge (a restaurant in fact), down a few steps, turn left to follow the road downwards 100 yds, (you will see The Library on your right in the distance) then turn left at the sign "Guildford, Cathedral and Twyford Courts" up the road (uphill), walk about 100 yards towards student halls. Where the road ends walk ahead of you on pavement between student halls, then bearing to your left behind a hall you will follow a narrow path with shallow steps towards a circular building (the Quiet Centre).
Sketch map of route: Map
Official Campus map: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/files/pdf/Campus_Map_for_web_sept2010.pdf
Session schedule
10.20 - Arrive by 10.20 so as to settle down the children10.30 - Opening meditation for everyone, parents and kids10.40 - MEDITATION SESSION 1 - Kids and some minders go to Back Room for activities [see below]11.00 - Handover - bell will ring in the reception area, and any parents who wish to change places or move do so11.05 - MEDITATION SESSION 2 11.30 - End of meditation, everyone goes to Back Room for a break and refreshments11.40 - 12.15 Dharma discussion on Peaceful Parenting, (plus sometimes a few final minutes for organisational matters)12.20-12.30 Closing meditation together in Circular Room ____________________________________
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